Murdoch Exploits 9/11 for Kerry Smear

November 1, 2004

In a naked attempt to exploit the September 11 attacks for partisan political gain, Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post ran a deceptive front-page headline on its October 30 edition that declared that Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden “Urges Bush Defeat.”

Of course, the taped message from bin Laden played on Al-Jazeera (10/29/04) did not call for George W. Bush’s defeat. Indeed, toward the end of the message, bin Laden declares, “Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush.”

Still, Murdoch’s media empire seems dedicated to convincing voters that Kerry is the candidate of Al Qaeda. On Fox News Channel (10/29/04), when one guest objected to another’s characterization of bin Laden’s statement as “an endorsement” of Kerry, saying, “I don’t think he’s going to have a Kerry-Edwards sticker in the cave,” host Neil Cavuto retorted: “He’s all but doing that. I thought I saw a button.”

The same night, Fox‘s Bill O’Reilly referenced a new anti-Bush video from rapper Eminem: “And Eminem joins Osama and comes out against Bush as well.”

ACTION: Please contact the New York Post and Fox News Channel and let them know what you think about making inaccurate and inflammatory claims just days before an election.